poetry by j matthew waters

time capsule crash landing

late autumn afternoon
digging into garden bed
and separating little bulbs
from big ones
I uncover a shiny emerald stone
I rub off the dirt with soiled fingers
and polish it with my shirt
kneeling and looking up
I hold it skyward past
silent clouds drifting
my eyes squinting
my mind racing
from out of this world
it came crashing
burrowing into the earth
untouched for perhaps centuries
but now my cherished treasure
if only for the shortest
moment in time